Question
Willy
A couple of hours ago, I walked my 14month old mini to the dog park. It was a 25 minute walk, our furthest to date. He seemed fine. When we got to the dog park he sprinted and hopped around at mini-schnauzers do. 2 minutes later he was sitting on the bench next to another dog owner. They told me he had been limping. He walked over to me limping severely not able to put his full weight on his right front leg. My husband picked us up from the park and we brought him home. He just stands in place and doesnt want to walk. He has tried to walk, but not far before he just stands there looking at us. I put him in his doggie bed right next to me where is laying there with his eyes wide open tired and sad looking. It has been several hours and the rest does not seem to be doing him any good. I have felt and squeezed the affected leg and paw all over with no reaction from Willy. Should we give him another day to recover or take him to the vet now? What could be wrong.
AnswerMake sure that he hasn't broken a toenail. That is always the first thing you should check when a dog starts limping. Wiggle each toe carefully. A broken nail would have to be cut off, and that can be nasty business if the nail broke close to the toe.
He could also have sprained a toe or pulled a muscle. Feel gently for any areas which might feel warmer than the surrounding tissue.
Yes, he should probably be seen, although the vet might not be able to determine the exact problem either as dogs can be very stoic and good at hiding pain. (In the wild, the rest of the pack might turn on an injured member and kill him, which is why dogs try to hide pain if they can.) When one of my dogs has an injury like this, my choice is to go to a veterinary chiropractor, rather than my usual (GP) vet. I really prefer specialists for certain things. http://www.avcadoctors.com/search_for_avca_certified_doctor.htm
One thing you should certainly do is prevent him from doing any jumping whatsoever.... furniture, stairs, etc. Carry him in and out if you have to. He should also be *rested* as much as possible. And I mean RESTED. Keep him off of that leg as much as possible for several days.... crate him! He should only be out long enough to be pottied. This will be especially important if the vet gives him something to kill the pain as you don't want him running around on that leg and making things worse.
I once had a young puppy bitch who was having intermittent lameness on a front leg. She went to our regular chiropractor, who suspected something in her elbow or shoulder, and she had a couple X-rays which showed nothing abnormal. I had her entered at an out-of-town dog show the following weekend, she came in season, and due to both circumstances she ended up spending the entire weekend in a crate since I was also showing a male. Once we returned back home, she went into the kitchen for segregation (due to being in season), and she spent four weeks in there doing not much more than sleeping in one of the crates. She has not limped since that time, and she is a VERY active dog.
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